All About You in 2 x 3-1/2 Inches

Business Cards So Tiny and Powerful

There are so many avenues in the field of graphic design, from brand identity, brochures and posters to motion graphics and video. The one piece of printed graphic design that has always fascinated me is, and always will, is the business card. It is your first impression, your calling card as they say. In a small, usually 2 x 3-1/2 inch space, it has to give someone all your pertinent information, but also be stunning and eye-catching in its design. 

Think about it, your name, tag line, company, phone, fax, address, website etc.; it’s a lot of information in such a small space. The design, color and logo have to be clear and clever. Back in the day, (and I’m referring to the 80’s) there was on occasion, the opportunity to use both sides and multiple colors when the budget allowed. You could even sometimes use a custom die cut shape, but more times than not, this was too expensive. Most of the time it was just one or two colors on a single side, but with some good design skills, it could be gorgeous. 

Some Favorite Horizontal Designs I Have Saved Over the Years

With today’s technology and social media, you can have a very simple card with just a website link and email. I've heard some people say they don’t even use business cards anymore. Are they a dying art form? When I started out in design there was no internet, email was just beginning and we didn’t have social media. The business card was everything.

In my early days after graduating from college, I loved designing logos and creating simple identities for clients. Usually, it consisted of just a business card, letterhead, envelope and shipping label. Today a business’s branding can range from these important basic items to huge identity programs including brochures, packaging, signage, media webites and more. Having your identity, look consistent and cohesive across all platforms, printed materials and media is what “branding” is. The fact that  graphic design has moved more into digital media and less printed material does not change the fact that whatever it is you are using for your branding identity, it has to be good basic design.

I will always love business card design. I have been collecting them wherever I go since college, whether they’re from restaurants, shops or even a doctors office. I am always amazed when I see a layout or some typography that is fresh and new. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time, sometimes you can use an existing design and add a new spin on it. It’s also easier today to print in multiple colors and use both sides at little or no extra cost these days. But you have to be careful not to over design with those options. Sometimes just a simple one sided, 2 color design is all you need.

Some Favorite Vertical Designs I Have Saved Over the Years

Good design is about taking the clients needs, being inspired by existing and vintage work as well current and popular trends, and then creating something that is unique from that. I know these days anyone can create their own business cards from templates on websites like Vistprint or Zazzle. It’s a great DIY for the average person who needs a quick calling card with little experience and a low budget. But a really good, distinctive design stands out from the rest when it is created from scratch and the designer took the time to explore and develop an identity. 

As a designer, I feel the business card is a place to showcase your skills in logo design, layout, color and typography all at the same time in the smallest of spaces. I feel if you can master that, you could design anything! Hopefully the art of beautiful business card design is not becomming extinct in the digital age.

Learning and Re-inventing

You are never too old to learn...

Over the year I have been doing a lot of soul searching about my artwork and business. I love doodling and creating my mandalas, but I definitely have gotten in a rut as far as producing products with my artwork. Being a one woman show, I have done so much repetitious production that I forgot the joy of drawing and creating. I needed to reconnect with my inner artist... the voice that called me to start this adventure in the first place.

In December I found a wonderful three part online course given by Rachael Taylor and Beth Nichols on surface and pattern design. Pattern design has always intrigued me and I have wanted for a while now to explore ways to use my art as repeats for fabric, stationery etc. The first part of the e-course was about learning how to be creative again, sketching and inspiration, which I so desperately needed. I was excited for the first time in a long time. The second part of the course was more technical on how to take your designs and sketches and get them into the computer to manipulate. I learned so much and created some cool repeats. I also learned about trends in the marketplace both here and all over the world. The third part of the e-course starts at the end of the month and is geared towards monetizing and marketing my work. I can't wait. Below is an example of a collection I created for one of the exercises. You can find more on my website and Flickr account. I am working on finding my own signature style that stands out from the crowd using my mandalas and doodles.

Time to reinvent myself a little...

While I was getting all excited about my new course, I began looking at my own identity and branding that I have been using. I decided it was time for a little facelift to freshen up what I had. I wanted the logo to look more fun and whimsical like my work, while still keeping a familiar look. After I liked what I came up with I began recreating all of the banners for Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, this Blog etc. to coordinate.

By far the most exciting part of this transformation is completely redoing my website. I had used iWeb before, which no longer works on my new Mac. This time, with the help of my son to get it started, I created a fun, clean website I am proud of in Adobe Muse. It links to everything, my online social accounts, online shops and is a portfolio of all of my work, from doodles to graphic design. I'm very excited! It still needs some tweaking but I hope to launch it any day now.